Innehållsförteckning för Issue 79 från Prog

NEXT ISSUE ON SALE sep 08 Mulling over what to write this month, my thoughts frequently dragged back to an altercation on social media. A Prog reader had decided, upon hearing three songs from Steven Wilson’s new album To The Bone, that it was pop and not prog, that he didn’t like it, and he then challenged the magazine to agree with him, stating we would “fawn all over” both Wilson and the album. I’m not going to use this editorial to repeat my refuting of his allegations, but it does highlight an interesting point. Clearly you will see that Mr Wilson is on the cover of this issue. Given that he is, without a doubt, the biggest contemporary progressive musician around, it’s our duty to report on what he does.…

“You used to work with our milkman in Salford…” Over the course of my life, I have often been mistaken for other people in the music business. I always prefer to play along with it rather than own up. In fact, my enthusiasm for trains frequently gets me confused with another well-known hitmaker, Pete Waterman. I remember one particular guy who was quite persistent in trying to catch me out. “You do like trains though?” “Very much,” I replied. “In fact I learned to drive a steam engine at Minehead.” The guy smiled, and as he walked away I heard him say to his wife, “It is Pete Waterman but he obviously wants to keep a low profile…” Then there’s the wrong album syndrome. This happened after a recent concert.…

“Tool taught me a lot about the use of different time signatures in songs.” Burton-on-Trent in the Peak District is justly famous for its beer. Its many breweries pump out millions of pints of frothing ale each year. It’s also a major producer of that mainstay of British beefy beverages, Bovril. Burton is perhaps less famous for producing post-minimalist soundtrack music raved over by Hollywood composers. Until now. Steve Gibbs may be a self-effacing and modest young man who speaks with a warm East Midlands twang, but his music – part post-rock cool, part Keith Kenniff ambient – is arguably on the verge of remaking Burton’s ale-and-industry image. Gibbs’ debut album Adrift has the backing of Hollywood film and TV composer Cyrus Reynolds, whose credits include Vikings and the most…

Official Progressive Albums Chart the prog top 30 albums Find out more at www.officialcharts.com WIN! BEFORE DURING AFTER – THE STORY OF 10CC BOX SET The special four-disc box set Before During After – The Story Of 10cc is the first complete, career-spanning collection of the work of 10cc, curated with input from the band to detail each chapter of their music story. It’s available now from Universal Music Catalogue (UMC) and we have one set to give away to a lucky Prog reader. The collection starts with During / The Best of 10cc 1972 – 1978, which captures the band at their commercial peak with some of their biggest hits including I’m Not In Love and The Things We Do For Love. After / The Post 10cc Years is…

“Play Michael Nyman at a dinner party and you become a gathering of sophisticates, not a bunch of herberts eating spaghetti.” “I grew up with music and my first choice is The Beatles – not just because it’s Sgt Pepper but because it’s my dad’s copy. The stuff we do [as filmmakers] is about designing sound for cinemas. This is the mono copy and, as pop music, was designed to be heard on a Dansette or on quite shitty hi-fi gear as no one had anything expensive at that time so it sounds quite thin and flat in comparison to the reissues you hear now. We didn’t have a lot of records but I like that my parents would have listened to this and I can hear the exact sound…

Alongside his career as a musician, Steven Wilson has become the go-to remixer for 5.1 surround sound remixes of classic albums. It’s amazing he finds the time, but as he explains, “I have a very strong work ethic.” His list of remix credits is now vast, encompassing King Crimson, Yes, Jethro Tull and ELP, plus XTC, Simple Minds, Roxy Music and Tears For Fears. But how did this alternative career develop? “The first album Porcupine Tree did for Atlantic [Fear Of A Blank Planet, in 2007], we were approached about doing a 5.1 surround sound mix, and I knew nothing about that. When I heard it, I thought, ‘I can do better than that.’ So I went out and invested in a 5.1 surround system, and I started mixing all…

It’s not easy being a teenager: the quest for what kind of person you’re going to be has just begun, along with the looming weight of those first adult responsibilities. Add to this the fact that your dad is a world-famous drum legend… Many Dream Theater fans will remember Max Portnoy as a toddler, banging on a drum kit next to his dad, Mike, as seen on countless YouTube videos. Today, however, Max is a drummer in his own right with Next To None, and the 18-year-old exudes a maturity beyond his years. The Pennsylvania-based prog foursome began life much like any other band. “I knew Kris [Rank, bass player] for almost my entire life and he’s always been hanging out with me and jamming on guitar,” says Max Portnoy.…

Tim Burness has recently put a number of his tracks online for your listening pleasure. This is where you should start… Wood Being Sawn (And Other Interesting Noises) (1983) From the only Burnessence album, this is a shivering slice of psychedelic ambience, full of head-spinning backwards, sideways and upside down electronica. Mumbling In The House Of Commons (1989) An amusing piece of tongue-in-cheek agit-punk that reflects the versatility of Burness’ songwriting and his penchant for caustic humour. I Don’t Know What’s Good For Me (1997) From the Infinite Ocean mini-album, this instantly infectious acoustic number showcases its composer’s ability to blend prog and pop sensibilities with equal skill. Unstoppable Waves Of Joy (2004) A slow-building yet cinematic Tangerine Dreaminfluenced instrumental, enhanced in no small part by hammered dulcimer accompaniment. Broaden…

“I watched a documentary a little while ago about a psychologist or a psychotherapist who ran a mental heath clinic. People came in with all sort of mental health issues, whether it be anxiety or depression, different illnesses of that kind of ilk. He was talking about the ability to recover from them. “It’s a very optimistic title that he uses. In his eyes, recovery is learning. It’s all about learning new ways of thinking and behaving. I really loved that phrase when I heard it.” The singer hopes that she can use her experiences to help others as they go through similar ordeals. “I’ve had ME now for a good five or six years, and I do have a longstanding history of anxiety and depression as well, which goes…

There was a lovely moment near the end of Snarky Puppy’s recent sold-out show at The Tramshed, Cardiff. The band had finished fan favourite Shofukan to wild applause and began trooping off the stage, only for the 1,000-strong Welsh crowd to sing the song’s hugely catchy brass hook back at them, arms in the air, eyes closed, pulling the notes from their very souls. You could see all nine players looking out across the room, then back at each other, wowed, taken aback by the sheer love, and sheer volume. Later, their bass player, founder, leader and composerin- chief Michael League would call this show “hands down my favourite gig of the world tour to date”. He had plenty to choose from. Their 2017 series of shows is the most…

Spooky Action Kscope Former Mansun frontman’s (very) long-awaited solo debut. Twenty years used to be a long time in rock’n’roll. But although it’s been that long since Mansun released their debut album Attack Of The Grey Lantern, described by their frontman/main songwriter Paul Draper as “half a concept album – a con album”, the passionate following the shapeshifting, eccentric Chester quartet attracted back then is still looking out for them. It was a hard core of those mad-for-it Mansunites that launched a Facebook petition four years ago demanding that Draper finally do the decent thing and finish his long-postponed solo debut, demos and ideas for which had been floating around since his old band called it a day in 2003. Full of howling-at-the-gods emotional catharsis. So maybe it’s no wonder…

Summer Dancing Acid Jazz/PIAS The original Fairport singer’s return to psychedelia, 21st century style. Judy Dyble is most closely associated with folk music, but she was also the product of the psychedelic era, playing at clubs like UFO and Middle Earth. Summer Dancing, with guitarist and soundscaper Andy Lewis, is anything but a throwback. As Dyble sagely says about psychedelia, “It’s more than just swirly gubbins over everything.” Expands your mind – and warps it through time and space. With its phased guitars, the breezy pop of He Said, I Said does nod back towards the 60s, but although the duo aim to expand your mind they also want to warp it through time and space, so along with fuzz guitars, eastern drones and Mellotrons, Lewis constructs a kaleidoscopic mix…

There’s clearly something in the aqua in Brazil. The quartet Ultranova are led by their wonderfully named synth player Thiago Albuquerque on their self-released debut. Orion is a collection of instrumental spacescapes showcasing their skill at spinning a cosmic atmosphere, throwing in some noodly ELP-isms, fusion smarts and hooks aplenty on tracks such as the catchy Órbita, the Moraz-lyrical Abismo Azul and jazzy Aquântica. Guitarist Dan Leite’s reach exceeds his grasp at times, but it’s just a sign of ambition here. Fans of pure prog should hunt this one down. Sao Paolo’s accomplished synth guru Corciolli has finally embraced his inner prog god on Ilusia (Azul Music), a glossilyproduced set of instrumentals with titles like The Man Who Disappeared In The Painting and Ghosts Of The Perpetual Mansion. Cinematic in…

Misplaced Childhood PLG Childhood memories. Given its intrinsic importance to music itself, one could deduce that timing is of far less consequence to the record companies. This is because this quite excellent repackaging of Marillion’s most successful and famous album arrives unlinked to anything approaching any sort of anniversary. When Prog spoke to the label two years ago, when we were doing a 30th Anniversary of Misplaced Childhood cover, to see if they had any plans, the answer was no. Yet here, in its 32nd year, we get the reappraisal. Still, prog always has been about odd timings… For Marillion though, Misplaced Childhood really is all about timing. After a bright, punchy debut album and a slightly stuttering follow-up, their backs were ever so slightly up against the wall to…

“The enormous screens feature hyper-stylised caricatures of Donald Trump with taglines such as ‘Charade’ and ‘Fat Chin’.” Tonight is the summer solstice. It’s the longest day of the year, in a year that’s felt far too long already for many, particularly in regard to politics. Roger Waters has never been a shrinking violet when it comes to putting his political views across, and tonight is no different. On this tour, he’s been making his way across America wielding a sledgehammer of opinion directed at the current US president. It’s interesting that the same things Waters was writing about in the 1970s (the creep of fascism, dumbed-down politics, a disillusioned, materialistic populace) are also the focus of 2017’s ire. This three-night arena stand was sold as a hi-tech extravaganza, and while…

“The imagery is splendid. The ambition of this band has always been paramount, and the technology and visuals have brilliantly caught up.” It’s a curious thing when you’re sure you’re witnessing one of the performances of your lifetime, but still feel as though the band are holding back. That’s the vibe during Tool’s largest headline performance ever. Playing to tens of thousands more than usual, the quartet made the usual promises of ‘Best Show Ever’ coming into this desert grandstand, so no matter how much they deliver (and they do deliver), on some level they also disappoint. The lack of new material is a complaint here. Just one newish song, Descending – one they’ve been playing for over two years – features in the setlist. A recent interview with bassist…

“Kraftwerk live has little to do with the personalities involved and everything to do with the ways in which their music is presented.” One day in the future, Kraftwerk will tour the world in a single night. Ralf Hütter will be gone, having passed on to the great motherboard in the sky, but it won’t matter. Fans will gather in venues across the globe, strap on their virtual reality headsets, and the Kraftwerk experience will be beamed – live and direct from Düsseldorf – into their field of vision. Ralf will be standing stage right, like he always does. And no one will mind, because it’s exactly the kind of thing you’d expect them to do. Because the live Kraftwerk experience has very little to do with the personalities involved…

“When your music sounds like the tribal rites of a future civilisation, it’s difficult to place a date on the songs.” Since re-energising almost 10 years ago, Voivod have made regular trips from their native Canada to Europe, primarily at festivals or second on the bill. It was only in November 2016 when they last graced Camden’s Underworld. Then it was as support to Swedish death metallers Entombed AD. Tonight they headline to a deeply partisan, passionate and much proggier crowd. The cardiac monitor beep of the intro tape provides signs of life. Finally a robotic voice proclaims, “We are connected,” and Killing Technology’s thrashing sci-fi rage takes over. Drummer Michel ‘Away’ Langevin’s distinctive tom hits announce his presence. He’s barely visible at the rear of the stage, leaving guitarist…

We’re the most un-rock’n’roll band in the world. We’re the Hinge & Bracket of prog. Where’s home? I’ve always lived in the Rhondda Valleys, right up in the buttocks of South Wales. Your earliest prog memory? I was six and I just loved Life On Mars by David Bowie. I loved the piano playing on it, and of course I didn’t realise it was Rick Wakeman. That was the song that got me into playing piano. First prog record you bought? Well, when I was 10 I was bought Tubular Bells for Christmas. That and The Sound Of Music. Both great albums in their own way! First prog gig? Mike Oldfield at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, 1980. It was my very first gig. Eight of us caught the bus down,…

What’s in a name? It’s a great shame that Yes’ induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was marred by bad feeling between the two camps. The subsequent squabbling over the use of the name is particularly sad when you consider what they are actually fighting over. Since the band first broke up following Tormato, the name ‘Yes’ has come to mean two very different things. One is the memory and legacy of those immensely talented young men who made that exhilarating, joyous, pioneering music in the early and mid-70s. The other is a tacky franchise, a commercial expedient, a label to be attached to an ever-changing arbitrary collection of musicians in the hope it will shift a few more units. You only have to look at the…

FIRST (ELEKTRA, 1973) In his time capsule capture as the leader of Bread, David Gates is forever seen as an extremely mellow fellow, the man behind the feel-good West Coast ballads Everything I Own, If, and Make It With You; gauzy, grown-up love songs full of sun-kissed confidence, just add soft-focus. However, all is not always as it seems – there was a little grit in his softcore oyster. The Tulsa-born Gates had been a key session man and producer in the 60s, playing with the likes of Phil Spector and Brian Wilson. “People always associate me with the ballads and pretty things, but I did quite a lot of rhythm ‘n’ blues and rock stuff early in my career,” Gates told writer Graham Reid in 2003. Gates would forever…

My tour in December will stretch well into next year. My German agent is working on dates in the next few months and will take offers that make sense for us to play. Some people keep asking about Ireland. The last time I played in Dublin on the Fishheads Club tour, I pulled less than 150 people. I played Belfast on the same tour and had about the same atendance. These numbers don’t support a full electric tour and, as I have had no offers from Irish promoters yet, it’s highly unlikely at this point that I will get over the water. I’m sorry, this isn’t through choice. There’s talk about a South American tour but it all comes down to numbers and if they support all the logistics, wages,…

“You’ve gotta be malleable to make it as a band, especially on stage.” “There’s nothing better for us than an idea that sounds different to everything else we’ve done,” reveals Orsome Welles vocalist Michael Stowers. “It’s important to have a new, vibrant sound always coming through, and for us to explore things that we’re unfamiliar with. We’ve spent much of our time avoiding getting pigeonholed and now we think we’ve found a pretty unique spot in the progressive world.” Starting off life back in 2011 as a group of friends writing music that delicately blurred the lines between heavy music and experimental ambitions, Orsome Welles have allowed their sound to develop organically since. Their musical DNA may have distinct impressions, from the groove-infected, Dream Theater-inspired riff work that opens latest…

“I first thought about doing a solo album in the 1970s when Caravan were going through a period of change.” P ye Hastings is not exactly a peripatetic musician. On the contrary, he’s spent his entire career with just one band, namely Caravan. But now he’s branching out, having just released his first solo album From The Half House. Mind you, he has pulled in Caravan members Jimmy Hastings (flute, clarinet, soprano saxophone), Jan Schelhaas (keyboards) and Mark Walker (drums) to help him out, as well as jazz fusion guitarist John Etheridge, with the main man himself featured on guitar, bass and vocals. Is this the belated beginning of a solo career? Hastings himself provides the answers… When did you decide to do a solo album? I first thought about…

“I didn’t go looking to be a solo artist – I didn’t think I had it in me. I thought, ‘I’m out of the game here.’” Paul Draper I n this magazine’s 2014 list of The 100 Greatest Prog Albums Of All Time, there, beside the inevitable classics by Yes, Genesis, ELP and King Crimson, was Six, the madcap multi-section masterpiece by Mansun, one place ahead of Radiohead’s OK Computer. Radiohead’s third album might have earned the plaudits, but it’s Mansun’s follow-up to their chart-topping 1997 debut Attack Of The Grey Lantern that has become the cult favourite among prog musicians. Steven Wilson (who has recorded two tracks with Draper) extolled its virtues in Prog, while Public Service Broadcasting proclaimed it their favourite album of all time. Even Radiohead believed…

Although Braithwaite has met Trent Reznor, they collaborated purely by email when it came to Before The Flood. And while digital connection offers greater collaborative opportunities, Braithwaite is still a fan of traditional band work. He cites the example of side project Minor Victories and their self-titled 2016 album to make his point. “Rachel Goswell and Justin Lockey put the band together to make a record, and it was mastered before Rachel ever met James Lockey, one of the main guys on the record. When we all went on tour, I’d only met James two days earlier. I didn’t really know Justin and I knew Rachel a little. “It was like a weird social experiment – a lot of people with very different personalities. If the band had formed organically,…

“Cardiacs have proggy leanings but have an urgent, punky side too. When I joined Lifesigns I learned Nick’s basslines but went for that JJ Burnel, Stranglers thing, to add a bit of aggression. There’s a specific thing required for Lifesigns, but no one really knows what it is! There’s lots of trial and error. I prepared five different bass approaches for N, then when I went in to record, everyone chipped in – it’s a committee, but without the ‘too many cooks’ thing. We ended up with something we’re all happy with. “Cardington’s like the first album but goes further. There’s something about John’s writing – he plays the sort of chords I like, somewhere between prog and jazz rock, and there’s emotion to his tunes and the way he…

“We’re all smelly, longhaired rockers at heart.” Benjamin Short The premise of A Formal Horse is simple: four sharp, inventive musicians with backgrounds in technical music go completely against the grain of polish and control in favour of viscerality and animalistic vigour. They have the brains to pull off twisting, Robert Fripp-channelling reveries and can turn mathematical equations into convincing musical passages, but the Southampton quartet have plenty of brawn too. They play with brute force and intelligence for, as guitarist Benjamin Short admits, “We’re all smelly, longhaired rockers at heart.” Three years after the release of their self-titled debut EP, much has changed within their ranks. Members have come and gone – a different singer leads the band on each of their three EPs – and time has seen…

Spawton and co dazzle with songs old and new. There are few greater delights than driving through the English countryside on a summer’s day with Big Big Train on full blast. Their music shines with full-hearted fervour. Perhaps it was an awareness of this that led David Longdon, Greg Spawton and co to drop this unexpected delight around the summer solstice. ‘Unexpected’ since most of us were still reeling from the mythic magic of April’s Grimspound, the companion piece to the profound and gigantic Folklore. Thematically, this new offering is a grand farewell. Releasing album after album is typically a bad sign, but Big Big Train have torn up the rule book. …Brightest Star shines gloriously, casting light on the journey so far, guiding the listener into new territory and…

Prog and doom metal have long made cosy bedfellows. As a result, the sublime symbiosis between the two genres on Avatarium’s third album Hurricanes And Halos (Nuclear Blast) sounds wonderfully natural and instinctive, as those big Sabbathvia- Heep riffs collide with vocalist Jennie- Ann Smith’s imperious delivery across a bewildering backdrop of old school keys and dashes of theatrical psychedelia. Plus, it rocks like an absolute bastard. Boston’s much-vaunted stoner warriors Elder have always taken an expansive approach to their fuzzed-up freakouts: fourth full-length Reflections Of A Floating World (Stickman) simply but joyously refines the formula. Woozily psychedelic throughout, they strike a shrewd balance between acidfried indulgence and riffs heavy enough to make bong water bubble, peaking on the sprawling grandeur and swirling Hammond of the 13-minute Blind. Almost the…

Quiet Storms AVALON/OSKAR Galahad’s quest for the soft and reflective – with added Rammstein. Although 2015’s When Worlds Collide 30th anniversary retrospective had the enticing USP of being a selection of Galahad songs from across the band’s career especially re-worked and re-recorded, these hardy Brit prog perennials haven’t released an entirely “new” album since 2012’s Beyond The Realms Of Euphoria. Quiet Storms isn’t that brand new album. Instead, a somewhat reduced band – founder member and long-serving guitarist Roy Keyworth departed earlier this year – applies itself to old Galahad songs, plus a couple of covers and new tunes, but re-recorded as primarily acoustic versions designed to show “a more mellow and at times pastoral side to the band’s output”. More than a cursory stop gap, gently subverting expectations. The…

Here Come The Warm Jets/Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)/Another Green World/ Before And After Science UMC The life of Brian, part one – in the wrong format. The fanfare accompanying these four, limited edition, gatefold double LPs extols the virtues of their being remastered at half-speed and playing at 45rpm, sounding better than any previously available version. Sadly An astonishing, arguably unsurpassed period of creativity. Prog wasn’t supplied with physical copies but digi files identical to the 2005 CD reissues. Accordingly, no judgement as to whether these pricey 180gm vinyl reissues represent any significant sonic improvements or are the equivalent of snake oil aimed at audiophiles can be made. However, their presence at least allows us to celebrate a crucial period in Eno’s career. For all his dilettante theorising on…

To Life, Death And Beyond, The Music Of Magma Citrus Pie In thrall to the great French proggers – but missing some essentials. The uncompromising and enigmatic Magma collective is the subject of this feature film from French director Laurent Goldstein. Formed in 1969 by drummer and composer Christian Vander, they created their own genre, their own language and their own mythology. A fan for over 40 years, Goldstein set out on a two-year labour of love to document the phenomenon, aided by Kickstarter donations. The film is assembled from interviews with band members past and present, with archive footage, excerpts from the 2016 tour, and commentary from Jello Biafra, Trey Gunn and Metallica’s Rob Trujillo. The style matches its subject – infuriatingly elusive. The film begins predictably enough with…

“That’s the only dancing you’ll see from me,” quips 66-year-old Collins after limping onstage, leaning heavily on a cane. He sits at a small table and – except for during the intermission – doesn’t leave it. It’s an inauspicious start, and there’s pathos to seeing how frail the Genesis legend and unlikely pop superstar is now, after recurring serious back problems. He’ll probably never drum again. Yet by the night’s end, he’s the only one not standing. Not dead yet? His first London show in 13 years is thoroughly life-affirming. A superb band and breathtaking production create a triumph of spectacle while Collins croons away. If he’s tentative on the opening ballads (Against All Odds, Another Day In Paradise), he’s soon back in his old groove for the first of two…

While the world goes bonkers for the 50th anniversary of Sgt Pepper – this writer included – another major milestone is being celebrated by folk rock’s first family, Fairport Convention. Fifty years to this day, a teenage quartet from north London tested their musical mettle with their first-ever gig in a church hall in Golders Green. Tonight, co-founder and last original member Simon Nicol, bass player Dave Pegg, drummer Gerry Conway, violinist Ric Sanders and mandolin/banjo player Chris Leslie return to their regular London home, the reverential circular space of the Union Chapel, where the band have cosied up to the impressive stone pulpit on stage many a time at the start and end of their recent winter tours. This might be billed as the 50th birthday celebration but for…

Best known for his work in dub, electronica and reggae, Londonbased musician and producer Gaudi is busting down barriers as he launches his album Magnetic with his brand new Allstars Orchestra. Joining him are Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree) on bass, drummer Nikolaj Bjerre and guitarist Pippo De Palma, while Gaudi provides keyboards, theremin, electronics and vocals. The band ease seamlessly into 30Hz Dub Prelude directly from the pre-show music for a trippy, laid-back beginning. Bjerre is the bedrock, Edwin locks deep into his grooves, De Palma’s Stratocaster is drenched in effects, and Gaudi manipulates dials and wafts his right hand around the theremin like a mad conductor to conjure a swirling mass of sound. Nocturnal Sonata is an early standout, starting in a dub/reggae beat before bursting into a big…

“Despite their limited crowd, they proceed to perform as if tonight is held at a sold-out arena.” As Caligula’s Horse eagerly take to the stage of one of Southampton’s most beloved venues, it becomes clear that the band have the deck firmly stacked against them. Not only do the Australian five-piece find themselves performing on a summer Sunday inside a blisteringly hot venue, but they also have to do so without any support act (local avant-garde rockers A Formal Horse dropped out of the concert at the last minute). Most perplexing of all, there are fewer than 30 people in the audience. To call this astoundingly low turnout ludicrous would be an understatement. Yet, undeterred by the intimacy of their impending performance, Caligula’s Horse refuse to relent, kicking proceedings into…

MIKE PORTNOY @MikePortnoy Slightly drizzling here at @NightOfTheProg but nothing is going to stop us from having an amazing evening together!! DAN BRIGGS @danbriggsx HOLY SHIT CRIMSON IS COMING TO RALEIGH FOUR DAYS AFTER I GET HOME FROM THE COLORS TOUR. I am beside myself excited CRAIG BLUNDELL @craigblundell Fun night in Germany at the #loreley #nightoftheprog :D DILLINGERESCAPEPLAN @TDEP_ Full band and crew minus Kevin gearing up to fight the Predator (he already got Kevin) and get some fabulous skin in the process yesterday… IAMTHEMORNING @themorningband Squad goals: mirror selfie with @MikePortnoy. Thanks for last night…

The XTC Bumper Book Of Fun For Boys And Girls will be published by journalist Mark Fisher on October 2. The 256-page book celebrates the 35th anniversary of the official XTC fanzine, Limelight, with new interviews and archive material. It also coincides with the band’s 40th anniversary. “The book came about purely by coincidence,” explains Fisher, whose daughter overheard comedians Stewart Lee and Joanna Neary talking about XTC. “She told them that I used to run the fanzine and they said they’d love to see it. I’ve literally got one copy of each issue left so she suggested scanning them in. I thought, ‘If we’re scanning them in, then maybe more people would like to see them.’ One thing led to another and the idea got bigger and bigger.” A…

Stewart Copeland makes a rare appearance on lead vocals on new project Gizmodrome’s debut. He’s joined by Mark King (Level 42), Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and Vittorio Cosma (PFM) on the self-titled album that’s out through earMUSIC on September 15. The 12-track features all-new material with a heavily experimental vibe. The Police’s ex-drummer says, “Some journalists came up with [the term] punk progressive, which I kinda like. The record is progressive because there are way too many drum fills, and the guitar playing is way too crazy for a normal record, but it’s got an energy that’s not really what’s usually associated with prog.” The collaborative project came about by accident during a phone call between Copeland and Cosma, but the four-piece had so much fun, they’re already working on…

HURDYGURD Ugears have been making self-build wooden kits for a few years, with a catalogue consisting of trams and fire trucks. But now they’re moving into the world of musical instruments with this extraordinary looking hurdy-gurdy. It’s cheap, made of wood, snaps together in a stressful hour or so, and allows you to evoke the spirit of Blackmore’s Night in your living room. Ugears describe it as “an indelible symbol of medieval life”, which could also apply to cholera, but this is considerably more enjoyable. www.bit.ly/hurdy-gurdy SOUNDBRAKE How many times have you missed your flight because you’ve had your eyes shut and your headphones cranked up? Me: never. For those who regularly experience this trauma, SoundBrake is here to “make headphone users less oblivious”. It plugs between the sound device…

“I’m not really a big cook but I do occasionally have dinner parties. I’ve got a few things I can do moderately well, but when I try and do something fancy it falls apart. Mike Rutherford’s mum used to do kedgeree so I got that recipe and that used to be my mainstay, with Fried Llamas for dessert. “The thing about Fried Llamas is that it’s been 30 years in-themaking. The initial recipe of a banana fried in butter with ice cream was borrowed. Over the years I thought, ‘Surely I can make this more interesting?’ and it’s what I’ve added to it that makes it popular with people who have a sweet tooth, and children.” Ingredients One ripe-ish banana, one ripe pear, one Cadbury’s Flake, vanilla ice cream, chocolate…

“I’m trying to not make a ‘guitar record.’” It turns out that James Norbert Ivanyi lives two minutes down the road from another rising Australian instrumentalist. “Plini and I went to see The Aristocrats here a few weeks ago,” says the 29 year-old from his Sydney home. “We’re not super close, but I actually played at his very first gig, so there’s history there.” Over the past few years and four EPs, Ivanyi has been gaining his own international reputation as an axeman to watch, but he’s wary of the guitar god label. “I’m trying to not make a ‘guitar record’. I care about songs, sounds and music first. I’ve got more progressive over time, but I do like slamming drums, that’s what keeps the metal fans happy.” His latest…

“Each song on the album has, in one way or another, something to do with karma.” Prog is by no means a formula-free musical genre, but the greatest bands always seem to defy easy categorisation. Stockholm’s Brother Ape may occasionally exhibit an unapologetic debt to the giants of 70s prog and the big riffing grandeur of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, but the amount of musical ground covered on their new album Karma indicates a much more adventurous mindset: those recognisable tropes arriving embellished with all manner of fascinating stylistic quirks and unexpected detours. “The wonderful thing with this band is that we think the same when it comes to music,” says singer/guitarist Stefan Damicolas. “I guess it’s just a little bit easier this way. I would describe it as…

Bruce Soord – The Pineapple Thief “Growing up, Quiet Life by Japan had a huge impact on me. I got into the New Romantics after that ship had sailed, and although the band vehemently denied they were ever part of that scene, for me they pioneered it. Quiet Life was drum and bass-led with a bleached blond, make-up-clad frontman. Back in the day, it was essential if you were a muso to go on about David Sylvian, but for me, it was Mick Karn and Richard Barbieri’s unique blend of bass and atmospheric keyboards that set it apart. What Richard was doing with analogue synths back in 1979 was groundbreaking, truly progressive. I just gave the album a spin and it still sounds fresh and relevant today.” Nick Beggs “Strangely,…

“I'd say art rock rather than prog. Their music is great, but I can't stand the lead singer's voice so I don't listen to them often.” Ethan Moldrich “I would say they are an exploring band. And not repeating, but constantly reinventing themselves. Progressive, I don't think so. A breath of fresh air, maybe. Their most recent effort does not grab me at all, but a song like Hunger Of The Pine is an evergreen for me and closest to prog, maybe…” Herold Boertjens “Interesting band but I don't like the vocals too much (and their lyrics may be too abstract).” Mark Michael “What is this Alt-J? Alternative jazz? The alternative version of J-pop?” Austin Kokel “I'm afraid this is beyond my outer limits.” Peter Brower “Nope. Alt-J isn't progressive…

“John and I met in 2000 at Rotherham Rocks Festival. We have similar musical tastes – we bonded over our appreciation for Refugee, Patrick Moraz’s band before he joined Yes. And of course I play keyboards for the Strawbs, and so did John. He’s got this quite amazing musical background he doesn’t really shout about – writing with Jon Anderson, playing with John Wetton. I love the way he combines sounds. There are brilliant sound combinations on the new album that create a really nice landscape. Cardington and N particularly go through lots of moods and sections. Originally I was going to be on a couple of tracks, but John liked what I was doing so the tracks kept coming. Voice In My Head, Different and Impossible were on Under…

In the late 1960s, change was in the air. Jimi Hendrix had hinted at the possibilities of throwing jazz improvisation into rock music, James Brown amplified the R&B groove to create funk, and Miles Davis and Tony Williams were chomping at the bit to shake off the limits of acoustic jazz. Originally from Yorkshire, John McLaughlin was a prodigiously gifted guitarist working on the London circuit when Williams brought him to New York to join his new band, Lifetime, for their groundbreaking, genre-defying album Emergency!. Davis, impressed by the young Brit’s speed, fluency and invention, recruited McLaughlin to play on In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew. These three albums tore up the jazz rule book and made something new – jazz rock. It was loud, the critics loathed it,…

You can’t keep a good brand down. “As you can see, Brand X does continue on,” bellows a gregarious John Goodsall during an incendiary set recorded in Pennsylvania. Their first release in 20 years finds Goodsall with bassist Percy Jones and former drummer Kenwood Dennard, alongside keyboardist Chris Clark and Scott Weinberger’s agile percussion. They’re clearly happy to be up there playing for a wildly enthusiastic crowd, and Stephen W Tayler’s stunningly detailed production puts the listener right up there in the sweet spot with them. Some of the hottest instrumental music you’ll hear this year. Aside from big names such as Soft Machine and Nucleus, the UK jazz rock scene was a bustling place in the 70s with less well-known bands such as Turning Point, John Stevens’ Away, Back…

The last few months have been busy in post-rock land, with a number of new releases, as well as upcoming treats. Chief among the announcements is that of a new Hammock album, Mysterium (self-released). With more great records in their catalogue than many entire larock opus Departure Songs while you’re waiting for the new LP. In mathier news, cult act Gallops have reconvened, releasing the exceptional Bronze Mystic (Blood And Biscuits), a rich and experimental electronic release that will appeal to fans of proggy genre-blenders like Three Trapped Tigers. Try Shakma for a driving, groovy track that sounds like Krautrock reimagined for this dark second decade of the 21st century. Having released two promising EPs of left-field rock, Newcastle’s Cauls have finally released a debut album, Recherché (self-released). It’s a…

Every Country’s Sun Rock Action Scottish band’s ninth, recorded with Flaming Lips man Dave Fridmann. For 20 years now Mogwai have exemplified the postrock approach that they first heard in groups like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, with their use of space and repetition, and with much of the fine detail embroidered into the fabric of their music rather than worn showily on the outside. In this respect it’s different from a lot of prog both ancient and modern, but achieves a similar net effect in terms of power and scale. The rhythmically restless Old Poisons even finds them wandering across the borderline. A gale force racket of thrilling power. Coolverine kicks off with an echoed guitar pattern that reminds of Steve Reich’s 1987 work Electric Counterpoint, with Martin Bulloch’s drumming…

Nighthawks/Translucence/Drift Music Demon Landmark ambient works re-pressed. Bringing together three evocative ambient collaborations between two of the most intriguing, if overlooked, artists extant (the third features the late minimalist composer/ pianist Ruben Garcia), this stylishly presented, three-disc vinyl package offers ideal accompaniment to a languorous sunlounger session, chilling adrift in futurist dystopia. An essential element of any ambient music collection. While John Foxx had probably enjoyed more populist plaudits as both appositely angular vocalist with the original Ultravox! (that crucial exclamation point indicating their pre-Midge incarnation) and solo pioneer of Metamatic electropop, his role when embarking upon Translucence and Drift Music with Harold Budd in 2003 was more that of student than master. While that same year had seen Foxx release two volumes of his own Cathedral Oceans ambient project,…

BE PROG! MY FRIEND Venue Poble Espanyol, Barcelona Date 30/06-01/07/2017 FRIDAY Whatever way you look at it, this year’s Be Prog! My Friend has to be viewed as a triumph. Given the arrival of the three-day Barcelona Rocks festival, which is held on the same weekend, the packed crowds pay testament to Be Prog!’s pulling power, abetted by another brilliant line-up that spans generations and progressive genres. “Anathema are a band very much in the ascendancy and their set tonight is simply brimming with confidence.” It’s a triumph for the music, too: all 10 bands playing over the weekend deliver above average sets. Throw in the great weather and glorious setting, and you end up with the kind of festival experience you wish we could have back here in England. Australia’s…

Tonight’s show is divided into two sets. The first features only violinist and former member of King Crimson David Cross and saxophonist/flautist and former Van der Graaf Generator member David Jackson on stage. Cross and Jackson are two talented men with great senses of humour: when they aren’t making music, they entertain the audience with jokes and hilarious anecdotes about past tours. Their psychedelic, experimental and eclectic prog rock is littered with improvisations. They both use a broad range of sound effects on their instruments, and the extraordinary Jackson has no difficulty playing two saxophones at the same time. Starless Starlight Loops is the first track of the evening, originally written and performed by David Cross and Robert Fripp on the album Starless Starlight. It’s followed by Van der Graaf…

“Lynne’s back-to-back hits are rapturously received.” Spoiler alert: they don’t play Battle Of Marston Moor, nor do they do Ocean Breakup/King Of The Universe or Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre). But there’s still plenty tonight to satisfy the hardest-core progger. ELO merge commercial instincts with structural complexity: their pop anthems are adorned with detailed intricacy. Arguably, ELO – billed as Jeff Lynne’s ELO, because he’s one of only two original members, the other being the somewhat less well-known keyboardist Richard Tandy, who is unwell and can’t be here tonight – are the biggest prog band in Britain. Hearing Lynne’s hits back-to-back, being rapturously received on this glorious summer evening, one is forced to conclude that his is the nation’s most widely adored (prog pop) songbook since The Beatles, with the…

There’s something truly magical about attending gigs in places of worship. The unique acoustics and pious atmosphere make for an individual viewing experience, and tonight’s sold-out show, held in sacred surrounds close to the hustle and bustle of Kings Cross Station, is no exception. Eivør Pálsdóttir is the Faroe Islands’ answer to Adele, but over here, she’s better known as the voice behind the opening credits of TV drama The Last Kingdom. And this stone church is a far cry from the concert halls where she normally plays. “This is my first show in England and I’m excited about playing here,” she beams. “I imagined I would only be playing for eight people!” She eyes her extraordinarily diverse audience as she speaks. Standing side by side are post-metal enthusiasts, barefoot…

On December 30, 2016, a message posted on the Riverside website said: “Dear Friends, 2016 has not been a good year, we’ve been through a lot together but in spite of all, we have managed to put certain plans into practice and pave the way for new experiences. All this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for your continuous support, for which we are very grateful. Thank you! Next year, Riverside will play live again.” For those unfamiliar with events, on February 21, 2016, founder member and guitarist Piotr Grudzi´nski died unexpectedly at the age of 40, from heart failure. It was barely six months since the release of the band’s sixth album, Love, Fear And The Time Machine, one that had generated the most interest to date outside of…

The compactly designed yet deceptively spacious Citadel venue is comfortably full for Panic Room tonight, and it has become a regular haunt for the band. This evening’s show is a celebration on two fronts, with guitarist Dave Foster hailing from St Helens, and frontwoman Anne-Marie Helder having marked her birthday the previous day. The crowd duly turn out in highly vocal numbers to turn the evening into a raucous party-cum-homecoming. There’s a crackling atmosphere in the room even before the proceedings begin, helped by the onstage mood lighting, candles and, bizarrely, a small model duck. When the band arrive onstage, the introductory double of Apocalypstick and Velocity, from the first and fourth albums respectively, proves majestic. The former particularly eclipses its studio original as it’s transformed into a sinewy, Egyptian-sounding…

“Devin Townsend provides a running commentary on his own running commentary.” While the rain breaks with long-held tradition by failing to lash down, this year’s Download Festival is stricken by another foe: the wind. For much of the weekend, westerlies whip across the site, and while this might not affect some of the more musically straightforward acts, it plays havoc with the sound of anyone on the outdoor stages whose ouvre is naturally more complex. On the main stage, Mastodon suffer as much as anyone, and it’s only six tracks into the set, when the thunderous Black Tongue rises like a weary monster from the murk, that the audience is permitted to hear the band as they should. The Contortionist fare better as they’re playing under canvas, but their set…